New Girl in Town
by loulou11288
Summary: Sydney Winger has just started at Sky High and is in for a few surprises
1. Chapter 1

"QUIET," Coach Boomer yelled. "I WANT EVERYONE TO MEET OUR NEWEST STUDENT HERE AT SKY HIGH. Introduce yourself young lady, give your name, class, and power."

"Hi. My name is Sydney. I'm a freshman and my power is….."

"Well come on we don't have all day."

"Well I don't actually know what my power is yet, but my parents seem to think that I will follow in my mother's footsteps and be a flame thrower," Sydney blushed.

This was the perfect start to an already horrible day. She was already nervous about starting a new school so late in the year, but then to have to tell her new classmates that she didn't even have her powers yet was just demeaning. She already knew that her powers were coming in, but she didn't know when they would work and she couldn't control them when they did. Which as it happened, had led to some pretty embarrassing moments at her last school.

Sydney was used to being a loner. She didn't make friends easily and the fact that her power tended to be uncontrollable made people practically terrified to be around her. She understood everyone's aversion to her to an extent; she wouldn't have wanted to be friends with someone who could turn you into a charcoal for no apparent reason either. So, she didn't try to make friends.

That day at lunch Sydney quickly ate and then went to talk to Principal Powers about her schedule. After she had finished that chore, she quickly gathered her books from her locker and went to her next class, which happened to be Mad Science. Sydney chose a seat in the back of the class and settled in to wait until class actually started. She was just about to start reading the book her mother had given her about controlling superpowers, when two boys walked into the class and sat at the lab table right in front of her.

The first boy that sat down was about medium build, had light brown hair and, was wearing red, white, and blue. He was also shorter than the second boy, who had black hair down to his shoulders and wore jeans, a red and black shirt, and a black leather jacket. The second boy immediately captured Sydney's attention because he had a dangerous look about him, she also thought he was cute, which embarrassed her to no end because she had never really thought any boy was cute. As she assessed the two boys, the class started to fill up and the teacher started the day's lecture.

Sydney's attention was brought back to the rest of the class when she heard the teacher point out that they had a new student and then she became embarrassed when he asked her to stand so that everyone could get a good look at her. Sydney rolled her eyes and considered staying where she was, but knew that getting in trouble on her first day wasn't going to help anything. So she stood and allowed the students to stare at her like some circus freak, there was only one thing that could make the whole situation worse and that would be if her powers suddenly decided to work just because she was angry and embarrassed, which was usually the case. The teacher finally allowed her to sit and he began the lecture. Sydney found her seat and started to take notes, relieved that the public scrutiny was finally over, at least for this class.

The rest of the day passed in the same fashion. Teachers asking her to stand and introduce herself, the students gawking at her until the teacher brought the class to order, and then the intense feeling of relief when she wasn't the center of attention anymore.

As Sydney sat doing her homework that night, she thought back on the day and was just glad that it was over. Tomorrow would be better because she wouldn't be stared at as much and she wouldn't have to go through introductions every time she entered a class. The only other thing Sydney was looking forward to was seeing the boy with the long hair and the leather jacket. She couldn't seem to get him out of her head; he had seemed so mysterious and sure of himself. _Oh, well_, she thought, _as if I'll ever even talk to him. He probably doesn't even know that I exist._

The next day at school, Sydney was told to report to the gym to speak with Coach Boomer about her powers. As Sydney walked into the gym, she noticed that the black haired boy was sitting on some bleachers nearby. She thought nothing of this because she was sure that Coach Boomer talked with many of the students and helped them train with their powers. Sydney gathered her courage and walked toward the boy.

As she neared, she saw that he looked angry about something and seemed to be fighting for control. Sydney was about to sit down, when Coach Boomer walked through doors and straight toward the two of them on the other side of the gym.

"Sydney Winger, I would like you to meet Warren Peace. Mr. Peace here is your new tutor," Coach Boomer explained.

Sydney was shocked. She had been here less than two days and the teachers already felt that she needed a tutor. She snuck a glance at the boy, Warren, and saw that he seemed to be as shocked as she was about what Coach Boomer had just revealed. Before she could utter a single word, however, Warren spoke in a surprisingly deep voice.

"Right and how am I supposed to tutor her? I didn't sign up for this, besides she's only been here one full day. It's not like she could be that far behind in her classes."

"Actually, Mr. Peace, you will not be tutoring Miss Winger in her academic classes. You will be helping her to develop her powers," Coach Boomer explained further.

"But, Coach, I told the class yesterday that my powers hadn't started coming in yet. So how is he supposed to help me with nonexistent powers? You can't really train something you don't have," Sydney argued.

"I have read your file and I know that your powers have emerged to an extent, but you can't seem to control them. I also know that your power is flame throwing and that every female in your family has had that power for generations."

"But Coach, how am I supposed to try to control something that doesn't even work half the time? What good is it to even try?"

"Now see here young lady, until you learn control, your superpowers aren't going to work right."

"Fine, I'll agree that maybe that is the case, but I still don't understand how _he_ is supposed to help. He just said he didn't sign up for this and—"

"I don't care whether you think he can help you or not. He is your tutor and that is FINAL. Warren, I will expect weekly reports on Miss Winger's progress and Miss Winger please try to cooperate. I really think Warren could teach you a thing or two."

Sydney stood in shock as Coach Boomer exited the gym and left her alone with the mysterious Warren Peace. She turned and finally faced Warren full on. He was glaring at the door Coach Boomer had just disappeared through and seemed to be considering whether or not to follow him and demand to be released from this obligation. Finally, he turned and looked at her; he seemed to be assessing her worth and Sydney was really beginning to feel self-conscious under the intense scrutiny.

"So," she began, "nice to meet you. I am really sorry about this."

Warren stared at her with a look of complete astonishment and said, "Whatever. Look I don't know how I'm supposed to help you and I really don't care if your powers ever come in, but I can see that Coach Boomer is going to make life more difficult than necessary until he thinks this is taken care of. So, I'll find you at lunch and we can start talking strategy."

"Okay. Whatever you say, but can I ask you one thing?"

"What."

"What is your power? I mean how are you going to help me?"

"Not that it is any of your business, but my power is also flame throwing. And I think that is why I have been assigned to be your tutor."

"Oh. Well, I guess that kind of makes you an expert."

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't forget about lunch."

That was it. He just walked away and left her standing in the gym. Sydney was speechless. How could this be happening to her? He was the one boy that she was even remotely curious about and now he was her tutor. Sydney had thought life had dealt her enough low blows, but apparently she had been wrong. Now all she had to do was try to keep herself calm long enough to be able to get through her morning classes and then she would go begin her tutoring sessions with Warren. Hopefully she wouldn't embarrass herself when they actually started training.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Sky High characters and the like are owned by Disney and its affiliates. No cocyright infringement was intended with the writing of this story.

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The morning passed at an alarming rate and Sydney soon found herself on her way to her locker before she went into the cafeteria for lunch. She didn't really want to have to meet Warren and she considered hiding in the bathrooms until lunch was over and she could escape to class, but then Sydney remembered that Warren is in her science class and he sat right in front of her, so there was no way to avoid him. Not to mention the fact that Warren kind of scared her, and she really didn't want to find out what happened when he got angry. 

She neared the cafeteria doors and walked right by them. Sydney chastised herself for her cowardice and told herself that there was nothing to be scared of and that she was being an idiot. She took a deep breath and resolutely turned around and walked through the doors.

Sydney looked around the large room but didn't see Warren, so she decided to sit and at least eat her lunch. She located the table she ate at yesterday and went to sit down. She watched the other students eating and began to hope that something was holding Warren up so he couldn't come. Sydney was just about to take a bite of her sandwich when she heard someone walk up behind her. She rolled her eyes and was just about to turn around to tell whoever was behind her to go away and leave her alone, when the person sat down.

Sydney turned to see a pretty girl in a long flowing green skirt and pink shirt. The two were soon joined by another girl wearing a purplish colored shirt and a black skirt and black boots. Sydney was astounded that someone was sitting with her, there were open seats at the far end of the table, but these girls seemed to have come to this table just to sit with her.

The girls weren't left alone for long, as two boys walked over and sat down. The first was tall and skinny and had a goofy look about him, he was also glowing slightly. The second was shorter and was wearing an orange blazer and glasses.

"Hey. You're that new girl that just transferred in from one of the other super hero schools, aren't you," the first boy stated.

"Yeah."

"Zack, that is so rude. I'm sure she is uncomfortable as it is and you have to go and point out that she is in a new school full of strangers," the girl in the green and pink admonished. She then turned to Sydney and said, "I'm sorry about that, sometimes boys just don't understand how hard it is to not know anyone. And my name is Layla. Allow me to introduce Magenta—"

"Maj. That's what everyone calls me," the girl in the purple colored shirt said.

"Ahem. And this is Zack and Ethan." Both boys nodded and turned back to their food.

"Uh, hi. I'm Sydney," she stammered.

"It's nice to meet you."

Sydney was staggered. She didn't understand why anyone would sit with her, especially since these people didn't even know her. Sydney was looking around the room when Warren himself came over and sat in the seat directly across the table from her. She stared at him and, of course, he stared back. A second later the other boy from her science class sat down on Warren's left side next to Layla.

Layla made the introductions, "Sydney, this is my boyfriend, Will Stronghold. Will, this is Sydney. And this is Warren Peace."

"We've met."

"Oh, you have? When? Warren, you didn't tell us that you had already met Sydney."

"Well, I told you in the lunch line that I was sitting with the girl at this table. I didn't really think I would have to clarify that I knew her, if I said I was going to be sitting over here."

"Honestly Warren, you could have at least said that you knew who she was. When did you two meet anyway?"

Sydney decided that she should answer the question and so said, "We met in the gym this morning. Coach Boomer needed to talk to both of us and we were there at the same time."

Warren gave her an odd look, but at least he didn't contradict what she had said. Sydney didn't think she would survive the humiliation if Warren told his friends how they had actually met. Sydney just wanted to get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"Well, Warren I am so surprised, you never care whether or not we get new students and here you are suggesting that we sit with someone new," Layla praised.

Warren just glared at her and said, "I am not welcoming new students. I told you I was sitting here and you followed, I never said she was a new student and I never said I cared."

"Oh, Warren, why do you have to be so unsociable?"

"I put up with you guys, don't I? I think that's being pretty sociable and I'm tired of this. Are you finished eating, Sydney?"

"Yeah, why?"

"We're leaving. I can't stand listening to this anymore."

"Oh, ok. Where are we going? "

"Just come on," Warren said, standing up and striding away.

Sydney followed; she didn't know what else to do. She didn't want to be left behind and risk igniting Warren's unpredictable temper. They walked out of the cafeteria and started toward the hallway that contained the freshman lockers. Warren stopped at one of the lockers, opened it, and began pulling out his books for his next class.

He then turned to Sydney and told her to go to her locker and get her books and then meet him in the Mad Science room. Sydney practically flew to her locker, grabbed her books, and ran back down the hall to the classroom.

When Sydney walked into the classroom, she saw Warren sitting on one of the lab tables. He had pulled a piece of paper out and was writing something at the top. As Sydney walked closer, Warren looked up and motioned for her to take a seat across from him. Warren went back to finishing whatever he was writing and then he sighed, put the paper down and looked back at her.

"Ok," he started. "We don't have a lot of time before class starts, so let's get right down to it."

"Alright. What are we going to do?"

"You're going to tell me when exactly your powers tend to work."

"Why do you need to know that?"

Warren rolled his eyes and then sighed, "I need to know that because I think that is how we're going to find the way to control your power."

"Oh," Sydney blushed. "Well, my power usually works when I'm angry, embarrassed, or scared, and sometimes when I'm surprised."

"So, basically they work when you experience some really strong emotion."

"I guess, but just because I experience a really strong emotion doesn't mean that I will power up. That's what is making them so hard for me to control, I really never know when they are going to work, until it is too late."

While Sydney spoke, Warren had picked up the paper and was again writing something on it. He was extremely focused and didn't seem to even be aware that she was still there, until he said, "We only have a couple of minutes before lunch is over, so I think we are finished for the day. I'll take what you told me and try to think of some training ideas tonight and then I'll find you at lunch tomorrow so we can talk about some of the ideas and then we can actually start training after school."

"Okay. That's sounds fine."

Warren nodded and moved off to his desk, getting his Ipod out and turning it on. Sydney got down and walked over to her own desk, trying not to think about what was to come tomorrow. Today hadn't been as bad as she had thought it would, but she knew that tomorrow would be terrible. She hadn't actually had to demonstrate just how pathetic her powers were today, but tomorrow would be a completely different story.

Later, Sydney sat in her room and tried to think of all the worst possible scenarios for tomorrow. Her potential situations ranged from her powers not working at all to her actually hurting Warren, she just hoped that her training fell somewhere in between these two extremes. Sydney went to bed that night with her mind reeling and prayed that the next day wouldn't be too bad.

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Please read and review. I need to know what you think before I can update. Thanks 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters or settings.**

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Chapter 3

_The villain stepped closer and leered at Sydney. She tried to power up but little sparks were all that resulted. _Just Great._ That was all she needed. Sydney looked around for anything she could use for a weapon but saw nothing of use on the smooth concrete. _Crap, crap, crap_. Just then, Sydney heard a scream and looked up to see that not only was the villain terrorizing the town but that he had taken hostages in the form of Warren and his friends. _Now what?_ And she had thought things couldn't get worse. Sydney again tried to power up, again nothing happened. She looked back to the villain and saw that he was running at her. Sydney braced herself for the hit…_

Sydney woke sweaty and tense. It had just been a dream, no not a dream, a nightmare in which her worst fears were realized. That she would become a hero with powers that never worked. Sydney stayed in bed and tried to calm her frazzled nerves, but almost jumped out of her skin when her alarm clock went off at 6:15 on the dot. _Well so much for trying to relax before having to go to school._ Sydney got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Maybe a really hot shower would help to relax her a little more.

After showering, Sydney got dressed for school and went down stairs. Her mother was in front of the stove cooking eggs and bacon, her father sat at the table reading the paper and drinking coffee.

As Sydney sat down, her mother put a plate of food in front of her and asked, "How was did you sleep?"

Sydney cringed, "Fine."

It wasn't often that Sydney felt the need to lie to her parents, heck she tried not to talk to them at all if possible. And with all the things going on in her life, she just didn't want to have to get into a huge discussion about trying to fit in and being a good sport. She also didn't want her mother to know that she was being tutored for her power and that she was nervous as hell about that. Her parents just didn't understand why her power hadn't fully developed and why she didn't want to come to them for help. It was bad enough that she was a freak among freaks, what with the problems she had with powering up, but then to have to tell her parents that she needed help with something that should develop naturally was just demeaning.

Sydney liked to solve her problems on her own, but her parents didn't understand why. So Sydney tended to avoid them as much as possible. It wasn't that she was one of the kids that avoided their parents and caused trouble just to do it. Trouble was just a part of life that Sydney had to deal with and she didn't want her parents to have to deal with the problems that seemed to follow her through life. She would just rather be alone and then not have to worry about anyone getting in the way or getting hurt.

"Are you ready for school?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

Sydney turned to leave, but was stopped when she heard her mother say her name.

"Sydney, come here for a minute."

Sydney stopped on the foot of the stairs and rolled her eyes. All she had wanted to do was go downstairs, get something to eat, and then go back up to her room to wait the half hour or so before she went to the bus stop. Apparently that wasn't going to be the case. She turned and went back into the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"You know, Sydney, since you started Sky High, we haven't exactly talked. In fact, we haven't really talked in a few months. How do you like the school?"

Sydney really couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure her mother always wanted to talk to her and she usually avoided her mother's questions by saying she was busy or that she had homework, but there was no way to avoid them now.

"It's fine, Mom."

"Well, how are your classes?"

"Fine."

"Are you making lots of new friends?"

"You know, Mom, I've never really been one to "make lots of friends." So I would say no, I am not making friends. You know I really need to get going, I don't want to miss the bus," Sydney said angrily. She really needed to calm down before school. She couldn't go angry because the slightest thing might set her off and then she would probably power up and someone would get hurt.

"Oh, okay. Have a good day, honey."

"Sure."

Sydney went back upstairs, grabbed her backpack, and then practically flew down the stairs and out the door to get away from the house. After she got out the door, Sydney looked down at her watch and saw that she still had a good half hour before the bus would even come by. _Just Great. Mom had to start asking questions and now I have to wait for the bus._ Sydney pulled her iPod and a book out of her bag and then sat on the bench beside the curb to wait.

Her favorite song, Animals by Nickleback, had just come on when Sydney felt someone tap her shoulder. Sydney sighed. _What now? I thought Mom and I were done playing Twenty Questions._ She started to turn around and tell her mother to just leave her alone, when she noticed who was actually standing behind her.

"Hi," Sydney said in disbelief. She couldn't believe Warren had just showed up at her bus stop. She hadn't noticed him the last two days, but she couldn't really say that she had been paying that much attention when she got on the bus.

"Hey."

"So, this is a kind of embarrassing question, but you haven't been getting on the bus at this stop every morning have you?" Sydney asked, dreading the answer.

"No, I haven't."

"Okay, because I really didn't want to think I hadn't noticed you after we had met. Wait, why are you here then?"

Warren rolled his eyes, kind of glared at her, and then said, "I thought I would see where you live and then we could talk a little more about how we could work on your training."

"Oh, God. You didn't actually go up to the house did you?"

"I started to, but the window was open and I heard you and your mom talking, so I decided not to. Does she always ask so many questions?"

"Yeah, pretty much. She thinks we get closer every time she wants to "talk," but I just end up getting angry and walking out because the entire conversation turns into her asking questions that I don't want to answer," Sydney explained.

"Oh, ok."

Warren looked at her like she was nuts, hell she probably was. She couldn't believe she had just told him all of that, but she just felt like she had to explain everything to him so he would understand. She didn't know why she wanted him to understand, she just did.

"Sorry, I'm sure you didn't want to hear all that," Sydney explained, embarrassed when Warren laughed, actually laughed, at her.

"What?" Sydney asked panicked.

"Nothing. It's just now I see what you mean about your powers showing up when you're embarrassed."

"Huh?"

Warren shook his head and pointed down to where Sydney's hand was resting on the bench. The places where her hand touched had started to char and burn.

"Shit!" Sydney lifted her hand and shook it, as if doing this would make it miraculously stop burning.

"Well, I guess we will definitely have to make sure everyone is careful around you."

"Yeah. I told you I never know when my powers will work. Heck and half of why I just powered up was me getting into it with my mom earlier."

"Maybe…"

"Yeah, well here comes the bus."

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**A/N Just wanted to again tell you guys that I'm sorry for how slowly the updates are coming and that I am trying extremely hard to get caught up on the story, while attempting to complete a ton of homework (college rocks) and work. So bear with me and my slowness.**

**Also, please review. It takes all of two minutes to tell me what you think. And I definitely want to know what you are thinking, whether it is good or bad. I don't care, any feedback is good feedback.**

**Thanks**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The bus came to a stop in front of Sydney and Warren. The door opened and Warren stepped to the side to let Sydney get on, then he followed her. The bus was empty and Sydney decided to choose a seat near the middle of the bus but Warren touched her shoulder and gestured that she should go on and sit in the very last seat in the back of the bus. She nodded that she understood and continued to walk toward the back of the bus. She slid into the seat and Warren sat down beside her.

They sat in silence as the bus continued to make stops and pick up other students. Sydney noticed that no one really seemed to want to sit near them. In fact, the entire front half of the bus was filled completely, sometimes with three students to a seat, while the back half was totally empty except for Sydney and Warren.

When they were finally on their way to the school, Sydney looked at Warren and said, "Do people always sit as far away from you as possible? I mean, at my old school, everyone tended to avoid me, but this is like amazing."

Warren gave her an exasperated look before answering, "Yeah. This is pretty much how my bus rides go. I'm the first stop on my street, so I just go sit in the back because no one really ever wants to get too close to me and they don't like to have to walk by me to get to a seat farther in the back. Whatever though, it's not like I care what they think of me to begin with."

"I didn't say you cared, I just wondered if people always acted like that around you."

"Well, to answer your question, they do. I don't want them to sit by me and so I give them good reason to keep their distance."

"So you intentionally try to scare people to make them stay away from you?" Sydney asked smirking.

"Yes and no. I don't bully anyone if that's what you're thinking, but the black clothes, the leather, the fact that I don't talk to anyone, all kind of add up to people being afraid. You could also add to the list the fact that I'm a pyrokinetic with an extra short fuse."

"So the short fuse has led to what, exactly?"

"It's gotten me into my fair share of fights, but I don't tend to start them. Just finish them."

"Ok, then. Remind me to not get onto your bad side any farther than I already am."

Warren rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

The bus finally landed near the school and pulled up in front of the doors. Warren and Sydney allowed the rest of the bus to empty before standing and exiting themselves. Silence prevailed once again as they walked into the school and turned down the hall to go to their lockers. Sydney didn't know what else to say. She was still slightly afraid of Warren and she didn't want to piss him off by asking the wrong question, especially since he had told her he a temper.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at lunch…" Sydney said.

"Yeah, this morning gave me some things to think about."

"What? I don't understand. We didn't do anything that had to do with my powers."

"I know, but you powered up when I walked up behind you and you said you power up when you experience strong emotion. You were angry this morning, so I think I have a few ideas about how to get you to power up and then we can work on the control issues you have. I just have to come up with a safe place to practice until you learn that control," Warren explained.

"Oh, well then I guess I'll leave you to it. See you later." And with that Sydney walked away to endure the torture of her morning classes.

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Sydney sat in the back of Hero History and thought about what had happened between Warren and her. She couldn't believe he had told her why everyone was so afraid of him and the fact that he intentionally tried to scare people to keep them away from him. But the bigger surprise was the fact that she had told him about her mother. She never talked to anyone, especially classmates. Especially classmates thatseemed to have the power to make her life a living hell, which just happened to be Warren.

_How could I have been so stupid? I don't ever talk to anyone and now all of a sudden I feel the need to tell my entire life story. And not just to anyone but to my tutor, who happens to be one of the hottest and most intimidating guys I have ever met. _

_Wait a minute…hottest? Where did that come from? I can't be falling for Warren. I mean I just met the guy a couple days ago, plus I couldn't like him because he's too much like me and I thought opposites came together not two complete outcasts that couldn't give a damn what anyone else thinks and seemed to be completely alike. I must be really tired or something. I mean I've never had a crush on anyone. I bet being in a new school and having to get used to everything has messed with my head. That has to be it._

At that precise moment the bell rang, signaling the end of class and the end of Sydney's personal war with herself. Sydney sighed. Usually lunch was a good time for her to relax but what with the prospect of Warren's plans looming over her, Sydney felt jittery and half sick. _Oh well, _Sydney thought as she walked to her locker. _ I guess I'll just have to get over it. It's not like any other super school will take me. Hell, mom practically had to pay them to take me here what with my record and nonexistent powers…_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Sydney had just finished putting her books in her locker before she went to lunch, when someone walked up behind her. She looked around expecting to see Warren, but instead came face to face with two guys she had never met before. Both were wearing dark colors and smirking at her as if they found something funny but thought they were above laughter.

"Hey, there sweetie. The name's Luke…You new here?" asked the taller of the two.

"She definitely looks like she's new. I mean come on, we haven't had any new meat around here forever," said the other guy, who seemed to be the first guy's sidekick.

Sydney looked between the two idiots standing in front of her and felt the intense need to laugh. She honestly couldn't believe she was being harassed by two bad boy wannabes that thought they could take advantage of her.

She finally decided to give them an answer to their question. "Good job, geniuses. I am new here. Any other stupid questions you feel the need to ask me?"

The boys looked shocked, almost as if they couldn't believe someone was daring to stand up to them. Sydney just looked between the two, daring them to come up with some smartass comment and of course the sidekick just had to say…

"Looks like we got us a live one, Luke. Why don't we take her down to the basement and have some fun with her!"

Luke started to agree at the same time Sydney decided to let loose with a stream of impressive obscenities that could make even the most hardened criminal blush, but neither got the chance.

From beside Sydney, a deep voice said, "I swear to God that if either you even think of laying a hand on her, you'll wish you'd never been born."

Sydney looked to her left to see Warren standing next her with his fists clenched and a murderous expression on his face.

Luke took in Warren's appearance and said, "Look, Peace, this has nothing to do with you. The girl wanted to have some fun and Jordan and I were gonna help her find some."

"Really, now when in hell did I ever say that I wanted to have fun with two losers such as you?" Sydney mocked. "I'm pretty sure that if I wanted to have fun, I could find a lot better people to have it with than you two."

"Oh, come on, baby. You know you want to. You can hang out with us and find out how to really enjoy yourself."

Sydney could not believe the audacity of the two idiots standing in front of her. 1. There she stood with her fists clenched, ready for a fight. 2. Warren was standing there looking like he was about to power up any second. 3. Sydney was pretty sure that a fight in the middle of the hall wouldn't be the wisest idea any of them had had in a long time. Did they honestly not understand the danger they were putting themselves in by insulting her?

Warren finally looked to Sydney and said, "Come on, let's go." And he started to reach for her arm to drag her off to the cafeteria.

Luke, however, had other plans. As soon as Warren took his eyes off him, Luke hauled off and punched Warren in the face and the sidekick freaking grabbed Sydney like he was going to kidnap her. Warren recovered quickly and powered up, allowing flames to fully engulf his arms. Luke also powered up with ice forming in his hands. He threw a volley of icicles at Warren, who melted them but didn't have enough time to go on the offensive before more icicles were coming toward him.

Sydney watched in amazement as the battle raged in front of her. Sidekick still held her, but she could actually feel herself powering up and was thankful that for once her powers were going to work when she needed them. From behind her, Sydney heard Sidekick yelp and release and she knew that she was ready to kick some idiot ass.

She turned to look at the sad excuse of a villain that had been holding her. "You might want to get out of here before I get really pissed," Sydney threatened and to her surprise the boy actually turned on his heel and ran away down the hall. Sydney returned her attention to the two boys in front of her and tried to think of the best tactic to end this before anyone got hurt.

She finally decided that a surprise attack might be for the best and set out to get behind Luke and find the best position to throw a fireball at him without hitting Warren. She came to the conclusion that, since no one was in the hall, she would stand to the side and then throw fireballs with everything she had.

Sydney got into position and when Luke let loose a bunch of icicles, she threw a huge fireball in his direction. Luke must have seen the fireball coming at him because he ducked and rolled out of the way, but not before Sydney had thrown another at him. She heard a sickening crunch and looked to see Luke lying on the floor, holding his arm. Sydney walked over and looked down at him.

"I swear if you ever think of coming near me again, you'll get worse than a broken arm. Now leave before I change my mind," and with that Sydney turned to Warren, who was looking at her as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen.

"Where did that come from?" Warren asked.

Sydney glared at him, "I told you that when I experience a strong emotion, I power up…"

"Right, so what were you feeling at the exact moment you felt your powers coming on?"

"I was angry to think that those two idiots were attempting to insult me and I was afraid for you."

"For me? Why were you afraid for me? I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone's help to win a fight."

"I didn't say you needed help, but I noticed that every time Luke would throw icicles at you and you would melt them, more would be coming before you could throw anything back at him. It's not that I think you can't take care of yourself, I just noticed that you needed help this time…"

"Well, thanks," Warren said grudgingly. "So this gives me even more to think about. You actually fought. And fought well, so we'll see where we can go from here."

Sydney looked at Warren and shrugged. "Okay, well I guess that's a good thing. I mean, if I can at least fight then I'll feel better about being here and becoming a hero or whatever."

"Okay, let's get out of here before a teacher or Principle Powers comes."

"You know, Warren, it's been a really bad day for me and I don't really feel like eating, so I think I'm just going to find some place quiet to go sit."

"Um, alright. I know a place you can go. Do you want me to come with you?"

"You don't have to—"

"No, it's fine. I don't really want you to be alone anyway. You look a little pale and shaky. That could be because you aren't used to fighting anyone and then add on to that the fact that your powers are sporadic at best so using them probably drained your energy."

Warren was right, Sydney did feel a little weak and shaky, and she really didn't want to be alone anyway. "Okay, take me wherever, I just really feel like I need to sit down."

Warren nodded, "Follow me."

Sydney fell in step beside Warren, as he maneuvered the halls of the high school. They came to a closed door and Warren opened it and walked down the staircase that began just beyond the door. Once they came to the bottom of the stairs, Warren took a left and led her down a hallway with pipes. Warren finally stopped at a dead end and opened the door that was set to his right. He walked into the room and turning to make sure Sydney was coming, sat on a couch that was placed in the corner.

"Where are we?" Sydney questioned.

Warren looked at before he answered and motioned for her to take a seat. "Well, beyond being in the basement, we're in one of the rooms where they store some of the extra furniture that isn't being used around the school," Warren explained, gesturing to the various desks, chairs, and tables littering the room.

"Does anyone else know about this place? I mean people other than anyone that works here."

"I wouldn't know. I found it a couple months ago when I was trying to get away from Stronghold and Hippie. No one's found me yet, so I guess not too many people know about it."

"Oh," She said while walking over and taking a seat on the couch beside Warren.

She felt herself finally relaxing as she leaned back. She was feeling a little stronger now that she was sitting, but she was extremely tired and felt her eyes drifting closed the longer they sat in silence. She knew she should try to stay awake, but it just felt too good to relax and let this terrible day be lost in the realm of dreams.

Sydney was awakened by a sound in her ear. She listened for a moment and then decided she must have been dreaming and tried to go back to sleep, but then she heard it again. Sydney groaned and tried to sit up, but she was being held down by something fairly heavy and slightly hot.

She finally opened her eyes and looked around. She noticed that she was lying down on the couch and she began to wonder where Warren had gone, then she heard the sound in her ear again. Sydney noted that it was actually coming from behind her and that it sounded a lot like someone snoring. She knew she had guessed right when the sound came again and she felt hot breath on the back of her neck.

Sydney immediately started to blush when she realized that Warren was asleep behind her with his arm draped across her waist. She started to try to shift her way out from under his arm when she felt him move and then quickly sit up. He moved away from her while looking at his watch.

"We need to go. The buses should be arriving any second."

"Are you trying to say we slept through the afternoon?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Sydney and Warren started back the way they had come. They arrived at her locker and she gathered the things she would need to take home. She followed Warren to his locker, where he grabbed his bag, and then they continued out the front doors of the school.

Warren walked with her to her bus. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow…" Sydney said, looking down at her feet.

"Yeah. We'll work tomorrow since we obviously didn't do anything today. Rest tonight, you had a hard day and we'll be working tomorrow."

"Ok," Sydney nodded and started to get on the bus, but Warren grabbed her arm.

"Hey, are you alright? I mean you look a little stressed about something," Warren said.

Sydney looked up into his eyes. "Sure. Why should I be stressed?"

"I don't know. It just seems like something's a little off with you."

"Well, don't worry about me. Like you said, 'I've had a hard day.' I'm sure I'm just tired from everything that happened today." With that, Sydney pulled her arm from Warren's grasp and boarded the bus.

Sydney walked to the back of the bus and sat in the last seat. She couldn't believe all she had gone through during the day. A fight with her mother, a fight with two idiots in the hall, and then "sleeping" with Warren in the basement of the school. She couldn't wait to find out what tomorrow would bring. Maybe she would get to fight a super villain and then get expelled. She couldn't say, but she did know she wasn't sure she could face everything that was being thrown at her.

A/N Sorry for all the time between chapters four and five and the earlier chapters. I know this is an over used excuse, but school keeps me about as busy as it can. So I'm going to try to shorten the updates to get them out a little quicker. I want to thank everyone that has reviewed and added the story to their alert lists and what not. Also I would like to ask if anyone has ideas about anything they would like to see happen in the story, if you guys do just PM me and I'll try to see if I can fit it in.

Thanks,

Ondra


	6. Chapter 6

After getting off the bus, Sydney jogged from the bus stop to her front door. No one was home; her parents were probably off talking with the mayor or having some meeting to do with their jobs in the public eye. Sydney was relieved to have the house to herself for a while and to be able to cool down.

She honestly couldn't believe the day she'd had. First, she had fought with her mom. Well…kind of. Sydney just couldn't stand all of her mom's questions about her life. Second, Warren shows up at door step and gets to hear all of the questions from her mother. And then, the fight with the two idiots, whom she was pretty sure she would be having problems with for the rest of school. Finally, waking up with Warren in a storage room in the basement of the school.

Everything was making her extremely stressed and was making her wish she had never even heard of Sky High. She hoped tomorrow would be better, but chances were it would be just as bad as today.

Sydney went into the kitchen to fix a snack before she started her homework. She couldn't believe how hungry she was. But then again, she had missed lunch and she had used a lot of strength when she had gotten into that fight.

She looked through the pantry and the refrigerator, but didn't see anything that looked that appetizing. She eventually found some chips and a pop to drink. She wasn't too worried about finding something to eat, she was sure her parents would be home soon and they would go out to eat or her mom would cook something.

Sydney walked through the house to her room where she started working on the enormous amount of homework she had gotten. She hated to even think about what she had missed in her afternoon classes and the load of work she would have to make up for them. All she needed was to fall behind more than she already thought she was.

After about two hours of homework and an hour nap, Sydney was really hungry. Her parents weren't home and she really didn't want to cook anything for herself. She was just contemplating what to do when the phone rang.

Sydney ran to the kitchen to get it, "Hello?"

"Hi, sweetie."

"Oh, hey mom. Where are you and dad?"

"We got called on a mission and won't be back until tomorrow sometime. I was just calling to tell you to go get yourself something to eat. There's money in the desk drawer in the den."

"And where am I supposed to go? We haven't exactly been here all the long and I haven't had time to look around town for any interesting prospects."

"Well, one of the women I work with was telling me about this little restaurant that's a few miles from the house. I know you like oriental food and your father and I don't. This might be a good time for you to try it out."

"Oh, um…I guess that sounds ok."

Sydney got the directions to the restaurant and headed out. She went back upstairs and got her iPod, a book, and some guidelines for a project that was due in a few weeks. She locked the house and started walking down the street. She had gone about five blocks when she decided that she would ride the bus the rest of the way. She found a stop and was surprised when a bus pulled up a couple minutes later.

The ride was uneventful and Sydney became sure she would die of boredom if she didn't get to her destination soon. Luckily, the stop she was looking for wasn't that far away and they got there quickly.

As Sydney stepped off the bus, she took in her surroundings and was more than a little disappointed to see that the restaurant and a bar were the only two establishments in this part of town. Sydney thought, _This town is dead. Can there seriously not be anything to do here??_

After admiring the sad view of the street for another moment, Sydney crossed the street and entered the dimly lit establishment. The restaurant was one of those authentic Chinese places where everything was decorated in red and gold and all of the staff looked to be some sort of Chinese descent. The hostess noticed her right away and gave her a booth in a back corner away from all of the noise and other families sitting in the dining room. Sydney was at least grateful for that, she wanted to be alone, maybe read or think of some ideas for that project.

When the waitress came, Sydney ordered a plate of the house special and Pepsi. She turned on her iPod and pulled her book out.

The food was delicious and the service was excellent. Sydney came to the conclusion that she would definitely eat here often. She had just ordered something to go, so she would have something to eat if her parents got back late tomorrow.

As she sat waiting for her order to come out, Sydney worked on the project for Hero History. They were supposed to pick a hero or event from the past and do a presentation. She was contemplating writing the report on her grandfather, since he had been in many battles, was fairly important in the hero world, and was still living so she could ask him any questions she might have.

She was outlining her presentation when Apologize by One Republic came on. Of course, Sydney had to turn the volume up and she decided to work on the drawing she had started the last time she listened to the song. For whatever reason she couldn't seem to work on that sketch unless that song was on. Sydney set to work, attempting to at least get some of it done, when she felt a presence at her side. Looking over, she saw Warren holding a bag of carryout and waiting for her to take notice of him.

"Hey," Sydney said, halfway shocking Warren when she took his attention from her artwork.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Um…I just ate and was waiting on my takeout."

Warren stared at her for a minute and then started to chuckle.

"What's so funny? Did I spill half of my dinner on myself or something?" Sydney questioned looking down at herself to make sure she wasn't wearing any Chinese.

Warren just shook his head. "No, I just didn't know anyone could eat that much."

"Huh…what do you mean by 'eat that much'?"

"You just said you ate and were waiting for your takeout."

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny. I never said I was going to eat the takeout when I got home, just that I was waiting for it to come out."

"Whatever."

"So, do you want to sit down?" Sydney could not believe she had just asked that. Of course he couldn't sit down, obviously he was working.

"Sure," Warren shrugged, sitting down and putting the bag on the table.

Sydney just stared at him. She couldn't believe he would sit down while he was supposed to be working. What would the owners think? Although, she had to admit that if Warren really cared what anyone thought she would be amazed. He just didn't seem to be the type person that gave a flying flip what anyone would think about him.

Sydney looked up to see Warren watching her with a look of mild interest. "What?"

"Nothing."

Sydney was at a loss as to what to say, so she said the first thing that came to her mind, "So, you work here?" It was more of a question than a statement, almost as if she was begging Warren to pick up his side of the conversation and take the pressure off her.

Warren of course didn't disappoint with his scintillating answer of yeah. Sydney was halfway beginning to panic. _What now? I have no idea what to talk to him about? _

Warren, however, came to her rescue by asking her what she was working on.

"Oh, you know that project we got in Hero History…The one where we pick a hero or an event and we do a presentation on it. I'm trying to decide what to do mine on," Sydney explained.

Warren just looked at her like she was some kind of teacher's pet, but little did he know that she had to get the project done so she could finally get caught up in her other classes. Moving to a new school in the middle of the year was never something Sydney enjoyed but she didn't have much choice when she got kicked out of the other schools. Again not that any of that was her fault, she just couldn't control her power and the teachers and administration didn't believe she wasn't trying to cause problems on purpose.

They sat in silence for another moment before Sydney looked around the restaurant and noticed that it was empty and that one of the owners was turning off the open sign in the window. Sydney didn't realize she had been there so long, but she had eaten and then worked on her project and a sketch. She had also waited for her takeout order and talked with Warren. Apparently time really flew when you were absorbed in what you were doing.

Sydney looked to Warren, but he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and didn't even notice that the restaurant was closing. She thought for a moment and decided that she should be getting home, especially since the buses wouldn't run much longer if they still were at all.

Sydney sighed and said, "I guess I should get going. It's pretty late and I have to take a bus home, so I'll see you at school."

With that, Sydney got up and walked to the front of the restaurant to pay her bill. After she was finished there, she went out to the street to wait for the next bus to come by. She waited a good twenty five minutes, before she finally consulted the bus schedule to see what times the bus came by this stop. As "luck" would have it, the bus had stopped running routes about five minutes before she had gotten to the stop.

_Just great…Now I'm stranded in the other end of town with no way to get home. I guess I could start walking and hope I get home without being attacked…Yeah, that sounds promising. I'm miles from home at ten o'clock at night and I think no one will mug me if I try to walk. _Sydney snorted and shook her head.

Sydney sat there another few minutes, debating her options. She had just started to walk toward home when a set of headlights swept across her from behind and she heard an engine start to idle.

A/N

Hey, everyone. I yet again apologize for my terrible updating practices. I realize that my not updating regularly is extremely frustrating to all of you readers and now I shall make my excuses...School, procrastination, and the fact that I just plain don't have the time to sit down and write. I am sorry for this, but I can't promise updates although I am alomost finished with the next chapter. So for those of you reading this...PLEASE hang with me. I promise I am slowly but surely trying to finish this story.

Please review though...Ideas, criticism, flames...anything really. They all help me want to write more and do better.


	7. Chapter 7

Sydney ignored whoever was behind her. She wasn't sure she even wanted to know who it was, although it probably wasn't anyone she knew since she'd only been in town for a few days. She continued to walk but could hear the vehicle moving slowly behind her. Sydney contemplated her options. 1. She could try to duck into one of the remaining open stores along the street, 2. she could continue to walk and ignore whoever was behind her, or 3. she could just turn around and confront the person following her, come what may.

Sydney decided on the latter and wheeled around to face her stalker because she was sure she wouldn't find an open store on this side of town. And, with her luck, if she continued to walk whoever was behind her would get fed up with waiting and just go ahead and kill her or something.

As Sydney turned, she took in the appearance of her stalker. The person was sitting astride a sleek, black Harley wearing a leather jacket and black helmet. She couldn't see their face, but knew the person was male from their build. Sydney opened her mouth to tell the jerk off but was cut off by a deep voice.

"Just calm down before you go into cardiac arrest or something," the voice said while the person pulled off the helmet.

Sydney couldn't believe who was revealed to have been stalking her. There sat Warren looking at her with a partially worried expression, but also a slight sneer. Almost as if he thought the situation might be slightly humorous but was also scared she might start screaming her head off and draw attention to them. She knew he thought he had scared her, and he had, but she certainly wasn't going to let him know that and she wasn't going to lose her cool.

"I'm pretty sure I won't be going into cardiac arrest anytime soon. But you're lucky I didn't hurt you or something. I was just getting ready to turn around and kick whoever was following me's ass," Sydney said, taking a step toward the street. "Why are you following me anyway?"

Warren thought for a moment and then said, "I heard you say you were taking the bus home and when I left work, I noticed you still sitting at the stop. Just so you know, the buses stop running at 11 o'clock."

"Well, thanks so much for letting me know after I left the restaurant. Seriously, you could have told me that the buses weren't going to be running past this area anymore and then I wouldn't have wasted my time waiting for one. I mean I could have starting walking and been partially home by now," Sydney practically screamed.

Warren just looked at Sydney. "How exactly was I supposed to know you rode this bus?" He questioned.

"Well…I…Well…I guess you didn't but still. You didn't have to stalk me on your motorcycle."

Again, Warren just stared at her. But then he started to laugh, actually laugh. As though, she was the craziest person in the world. Sydney, on the other hand, seriously didn't see what was so funny. It had been damn scary to be followed by some shadowy figure. And then she had to decide whether or not to face her fears and stand up to whoever was following her.

"You know…Whatever. You go ahead and find this whole situation hilarious while I try to find a way home," she sneered turning away from Warren and his stupid motorcycle.

Sydney started to walk in the general direction of home, but she didn't really know where she was going because she hadn't paid any attention to where the bus was going after she got on. She was in a part of town she had yet to really tour since moving to Maxville and it was the dead of night. _Perfect_.

"Wait," Warren chuckled. "I'll take you home."

"Yeah, like I'm really going to trust the jerk that just stalked me down a dark street for a block and a half."

"Suit yourself. I can just let you walk home. Speaking of which…do you know where that is from here?"

"Yes…I think…," Sydney said looking around for any sign that could possibly point her in the right direction.

"Come on. Get on. I could have you home in the time it takes you to decide whether to head east or west."

"Fine. Just don't wreck or anything because as funny as it sounds, I _would_ like to live to see another day."

"Just get on and tell me what street you live on."

"Western."

"Got it and here put this on," he said, handing her the helmet he had been wearing. She put the it on and waited.

Warren took off, driving away from the curb and accelerating at an alarming rate. Sydney was nearly jerked off the back of the bike with the sudden speed and grabbed on to Warren's waist in her panic. She clung to him and buried her face in his leather clad shoulder. The ride was terrifying and Sydney was certain she would never ride on another motorcycle in her life after this. However, just as Sydney was beginning to think the ride would never end, Warren began to slow the bike. As he turned the corner, Warren looked back at her.

"Which house?"

"Uh…the light blue one on the left. The one with the big flag pole in the front yard," Sydney all but shouted to make sure she was heard over the engine and through the helmet.

She saw Warren nod as he slowed down to pull in the drive. When the bike finally came to a stop, Sydney breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the helmet off, hoping it hadn't made her hair too tangled.

"Thanks," Sydney said climbing off the bike and attempting to get her balance.

"Easy there," Warren said, grabbing her arm to steady her as she stumbled.

Sydney shook her head, "I'm fine. Just a little woozy…Never been on a motorcycle before."

"You sure you're okay? You look pretty green."

"Well actually, no I am not sure I'm fine but I'm sure I will be in a minute."

Warren just continued to stare at her, almost as if he knew there was something more wrong than just being dizzy from a motorcycle ride. He looked up at the house and then back at her.

"Is there anyone else here?"

Sydney shrugged, "Uh…no. Just me for a few days. Parents are on a mission out of town. Why?"

"Right," Warren said, completely ignoring her question while standing up and getting off the bike.

"What are you doing? You don't have to be a gentleman or anything and walk me to my door. I'm pretty sure I can find my way home from here," Sydney quipped, attempting to make a joke out of her earlier inability to find her home.

"Look, I don't think you're just ill from the ride over. No one stays unsteady this long afterward."

"How do you know I don't get motion sickness? Plus it's only been like five minutes," Sydney said in a slight panic.

"Do you get motion sick?" Warren asked, raising one dark eyebrow at her.

Sydney looked away and said, "Well no, but that being my first ride and all, I bet I'm just not used to the feeling."

"Okay then. Tell me something."

"What?"

"Did you get sick on the bus on the way to school the first day?"

Sydney thought back to the day. She had been nervous about going to school and had felt slightly sick, but that wasn't from the bus ride.

"No, I guess I didn't," Sydney finally conceded.

"My point exactly. Riding the Sky High bus and my bike feel the same. You should have gotten sick on one when you didn't on the other," Warren explained with a slight look of triumph on his face.

"Okay, so I'm sick. What do you want to do? Play doctor or something?" Sydney asked wishing she had a place to sit down.

"Actually, while I will not be playing doctor, I do plan on taking care of you."

"Seriously?" Sydney asked while Warren nodded. "You have know me for a grand total of two days and you think I'm going to let you in my house to take care of me because _you_ think I'm sick."

Warren didn't seem to be paying any attention to her whatsoever. "Where are your keys?"

"Like I'm really going to tell you. You must be delusional," Sydney said.

Warren again looked at her shook his head and said, "You know, I can just hold you down and find them myself. Now, which would you rather do? Hand them over voluntarily or be held down while I search your pockets to find them?"

Sydney turned to Warren with a look of disbelief, "You wouldn't."

"Believe me. I would," Warren said taking a threatening step forward.

"Fine, here take them," Sydney panicked pulling her keys out of her back pocket and throwing them at him.

Warren smirked walking toward the front door, "Thanks."

Sydney followed behind, trying to remember whether or not she'd left anything thrown on the floor. God, she hoped not. But then again, why should she care? It's not like she invited him in, he just insisted. Hopefully she could convince him that she was fine and he'd leave before too long. While she was thinking this, Sydney felt suddenly light headed and stumbled into Warren's back before falling.


End file.
